The Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, on Wednesday announced that Pearl Bhengu has been appointed as the interim CEO of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), following the termination of the contract of previous CEO Thokozani Magwaza.

Bhengu has been serving as the Sassa regional manager in KwaZulu-Natal since 2012.

A statement by the department said that Dlamini had met with Sassa staff on Wednesday to inform them of the decision.

“The Minister stated that the first priority of the Acting CEO is to stabilise the Agency and to ensure that it focuses on its Constitutional mandate of administering and paying social grants in line with the Sassa Act.”

The announcement comes a day after minister and Magwaza mutually agreed to end his contract of employment.

Magwaza had been at loggerheads with Dlamini over the handling of the grant payment debacle and Magwaza was reportedly in the process of negotiating with the South African Post Office to pay grants when he was fired on Monday.

Magwaza, who had cancelled millions of rands worth of illegal work stream contracts, had also allegedly received death threats.